Mandy Mac nappies have been staples for many parents and they have a well earned reputation for reliable, durable cloth nappies. The Mandy Mac Purple Nights night nappy has been a hugely popular product making cloth nappying possible even for those heavy wetting babies and toddlers overnight.

Mandy Mac has also recently released a brand new nappy - created especially for those who use cloth nappies in humid & tropical climates - the MacTropic.

Darlings Downunder caught up with Mandy Mac creator and owner Amanda McCraken and asked some questions about her brand.

How and when did Mandy Mac start?

Before my first child was born I started sewing little nappies for her, however it wasn’t until after my second child was born and I was inundated with people wanting me to sew nappies for them that I started thinking about turning it into a business. Fortunately for me I had worked in the rag trade before so I still had contacts and was introduced to the fabulous Mrs Law. It still took a lot longer to actually launch the business than I had anticipated, but was well worth it.

Who makes Mandy Mac nappies and where are they made?

Mrs Law still makes the nappies for me. I deal mostly with her daughter Fanny nowadays. I like that it is a family run business. Their factory is small by Guangzhou standards, but they are happy with the size of it, they prefer smaller, boutique orders than the larger, bulk orders.

What's your most important business philosophy?

Everything should be win/win. Some people seem to think that you have to be unethical to make a profit but that is not the case at all. Everyone wins. The machinists in the factory get paid a much higher wage than they would in rural China. Even men do sewing – it’s not considered lowly paid “women’s work” in Guangzhou. Mrs Law wins, my fabulous customs brokers win, I win, my beautiful wholesale customers like Darlings Downunder win and of course, our customers all win.

What do you like most about your work?

I like that I am making a difference. The planet really is a better place because Mandy Mac exists. The planet is greener, I have sold thousands and thousands of nappies which has prevented hundreds of thousands of disposable nappies entering landfill, not to mention the chemicals that would otherwise have been released into the atmosphere in the production of disposable nappies. There are people in China who can send their children to university because they have decent jobs because Mandy Mac exists. And, of course, I get to work from home and watch my children grow from babies to schoolchildren because Mandy Mac exists.

What's in the future at Mandy Mac?

I would love to go international! Mandy Mac is a brilliant brand and the world needs to know about it.

Thanks, Amanda, and all the best for your future plans for Mandy Mac! We're having a giveaway of 6 Mandy MacTropics coming up very soon, so keep an eye on our blog.